by Herbert W. Armstrong
As announced in the February 8th letter to Members and Co-Workers, the year 1981 is starting out with the final lunge forward and increased burst of speed as we come in on the final home stretch FINISHING GOD’S WORK.
It is going to require extra sacrifice, stepped up drive and energy, increased intensified, earnest and prevailing PRAYER and effort on the part of all – ministers and lay members alike.
NEVER have we been so UNIFIED TOGETHER throughout the whole Church. The living Christ has been getting the whole Church back on the track. All ministers who have been in Pasadena on the Refresher Program will tell you there has NEVER in twelve years been such harmony and cooperation at all spiritual levels at Pasadena. UNITEDLY God’s great spiritual END-TIME WORK is generating a final burst of speed with renewed vitality.
Twice-Monthly Combined Church Meetings at Church Centers
Last Sabbath I flew up to Seattle for a combined Church service of churches in the Seattle area. There were 2,500 brethren there. Some came down from Canada. A few came up from Portland. Virtually all brethren within the state of Washington were there. It was an enthusiastic and joyous gathering of brethren in the Pacific Northwest.
A week from this Sabbath (which is tomorrow) and two weeks from the Seattle meeting, I plan to speak at the largest congregation, outside of Pasadena, in the entire Church – which is at Big Sandy, Texas. Dr. Don Ward, who is Pastor there, expects to match the Seattle assembly of 2,500 brethren.
I now plan, relying on God to infuse me with His energy and vitality, to speak at various such centers over the United States and Canada every two weeks.
This present week on Tuesday I recorded two more television half-hour programs, and two radio programs. On Wednesday two more TV and two more radio. When I returned from the Tokyo-Manila trip, arriving home at precisely 9 a.m. Sunday morning, my program was just starting on our local channel 11. It was the first of the new series of TV programs. Prior to that program we had eight of the new programs recorded in advance. Now, with that, two of those programs have been aired. But as of this minute we have 12 programs ahead not yet run. We have gained four more programs in reserve; I have recorded six new programs since returning home. I hope to be able to do four new programs every week from now on, except if I have to be overseas.
Yesterday I went to Big Sandy. I was amazingly surprised to see the well-maintained, virtually immaculate condition of the campus there, even though everything has been closed down so long. Few junior colleges in the U.S. have such superb facilities. Following is a report on the visit I wrote on the flight back last evening.
I knew there would be pressure brought to open also the Imperial School there. I found the Imperial School separate campus and facility in the same well-maintained condition – an especially fine, modern facility. At Pasadena we have reopened the Imperial School on a basis where parents’ tuitions virtually pay the costs. I have directed a complete research of this situation as it applies to Big Sandy.
If, as at Pasadena, parental tuitions can defray the costs so that it will not have to be supported out of the general Church budget, it is possible the Imperial School may reopen also at Big Sandy simultaneously with the college campus. The physical facility is all ready to go. I am told most of the faculty is available and waiting. There can well be a certain amount of cooperation in the teaching load from the college faculty – as there is at Pasadena. God wants His Church to be concerned about the children, and close parent-child relationships – that is, whole FAMILY relationships among God’s people.
What we can do within our means, God wants us to do.
All around the world, reports are coming in that growth in the Church and its Work is once again, for the first time in about 12-14 years, mounting up close to 30% per year. When WE, THE CHURCH here on earth, are pleasing GOD, then He blesses us with GROWTH. Success depends more on how well WE please HIM than on our efforts in other directions. Of ourselves we can do NOTHING. ”GOD doeth the WORK:” We are instruments.
All Church troubles through the years have come from NON-spiritual political efforts for personal human power, position or money. I have labored ceaselessly these past 2 ½ years to put God’s Church back on GOD’S track, PLEASING TO HIM. The fact of the surge forward in growth reports, not only over the U.S., but in Britain, Europe, Canada and around the world (the Philippines, I found, is on a 30% increase now).
Fellow ministers and wives, PRAY and fast, and pray as NEVER BEFORE. Put your whole mind and heart into GOD’S WORK!
